Wireless devices have become ubiquitous such that wireless transmitters are included in a wide variety of devices and technologies. Such wireless transmitters can found in almost every industry and involved in almost all aspects of modern life. For example, household appliances and household controls, such as wireless thermostat controllers, security systems, smoke alarm units and, of course, entertainment systems and equipment, are increasingly taking advantage of wireless communications. Wireless devices, equipment and components are also being used increasingly outside of our homes in industrial facilities, retail establishments and service centers, such as medical facilities, as well as in items used daily outside of homes including our vehicles and mobile computing devices. Further, the use of wireless technologies is a major component in the trend for an Internet of Things (“IoT”), in which vast numbers and varieties of devices used daily can communicate to each other and over external networks via packetized network communications.
Many of these devices make use of known wireless communications technologies for packetized networks including WI-FI, WI-MAX, cellular, ZIGBEE, BLUETOOTH, Near Field Communications (“NFC”), and other wireless packetized network communications systems. Transmitters and components that allow devices to send wireless transmissions for many such systems are often put into service and/or connected for use with various devices in configurations and arrangements that interfere with existing systems and devices. The existing systems and devices encountering these interferences and conflicts are essentially victimized, in that users or entities for those systems must expend resources to determine the existence of the interference when conflicts or service losses are encountered, locate the source of the conflict and the responsible conflicting device, and then troubleshoot options for overcoming the conflict.
In many situations, gaining physical or operational access to a specific device, site or source that is providing an interfering signal or is conflicting with wireless communications can be difficult or impossible even after the source has been identified. These situations can further limit the options and abilities of victimized systems for identifying and mitigating the source(s) of interference, and can waste additional unnecessary time and resources while attempting to troubleshoot and resolve conflicts that can be difficult or even impossible to resolve without sufficient access or information.